YouTube will return to U.S. Billboard charts in 2027
YouTube says it will return to the U.S. Billboard charts starting in 2027. In a November 9, 2026 update on the YouTube Official Blog, the platform says Billboard’s new methodology better reflects how fans engage with music across subscription and ad-supported services. The change is relevant to artists and music creators whose audience-building work includes YouTube videos and livestreams.
The dispute centered on how those audiences were counted. In its original December 17, 2025 announcement, YouTube objected to Billboard giving subscription-supported streams more weight than ad-supported streams. It said its data would stop being delivered to Billboard or factored into the charts after January 16, 2026.
The return means YouTube music consumption will again have a role in Billboard chart measurement. For an artist building a community through official videos or live performances, that gives the platform’s audience activity renewed relevance beyond YouTube’s own metrics. It doesn’t establish that any particular release will chart higher, or that every kind of video engagement qualifies.
One detail deserves care: YouTube originally asked for subscription and ad-supported streams to count equally, but the update doesn’t say Billboard has adopted equal weighting. It endorses the revised methodology without publishing the formula, eligible formats or an exact return date within 2027. If chart performance is part of your release planning, those rules are worth checking when available before assigning a specific chart value to YouTube streams.
Source: YouTube Official Blog · 2026-11-09
By Hookami
